land of the free, home of the alone.

Misperception #1: Brothers are brothers, no?

There was an Amish guy who had had enough of the tensions and hardships of Amish life. So he and his family left the Amish church. He bought a car. He bought a suit and tie. And he and his family started to go to the Baptist church in the local town. Some years went by as he adjusted to his new life. He stayed in touch with the Amish from his former church even though he had been excommunicated for leaving. Yet he encountered a dilemma when his ailing Amish mother could no longer care for herself. Amongst his Amish relatives it was eventually decided that he and his family would be most equipped to care for her given her special needs and that they had electricity. After a few years the mother died and the relatives again gathered to decide where to conduct the services. It was decided that it was acceptable to conduct the services at the Baptist church which the former Amish man and his family were currently attending, since the funeral was expected to be well attended. On the day of the funeral, the parking lot was filled with the buggies of relatives and friends from the Amish community everywhere. Many of the Amish were curious to see where this former Amish went to church and with whom he fellowshipped. Yet their curiosity was met with an even greater curiosity, when one Amish could contain himself no longer and asked, “Where are all the Baptists?” All the former Amish could manage, by way of response, was a motion at his suit and tie pastor who was sitting in the church office.